1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to retractable cellular coverings for architectural openings, such as windows, doors, archways, and the like, and more particularly to such a covering wherein concentric double cells are used to improve the insulating properties of the covering without detrimentally affecting the thickness, color, sound of operation, and the like of the covering.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
Coverings for architectural openings, such as windows, doors, archways, and the like, have taken numerous forms for many years with some of these coverings being retractable in nature so as to be moveable between an extended position across the opening and a retracted position adjacent one or more sides of the opening.
More recently, retractable coverings have been made in a cellular format for aesthetics and in some instances for improved insulation. The cells in such coverings are typically elongated and transversely collapsible so that when the covering is extended across a window opening, the cells are themselves expanded, but when the covering is retracted adjacent one or more sides of the opening, the cells collapse transversely so that the covering can be neatly stacked adjacent the one or more sides of the opening.
One form of such a cellular covering typically includes a plurality of elongated vertically aligned, horizontally extending, transversely collapsible cells which are longitudinally adhered to adjacent cells to form a vertical stack of cells. The transverse cross-section of each cell can take numerous forms such as hexagonal, octagonal, or variations thereof. While such coverings utilizing transversely collapsible cells are typically oriented so the cells extend horizontally, panels of such material can also be oriented so the cells extend vertically.
While such cellular coverings may have some insulative capabilities, depending largely on the material from which they are made, there has been a continuing effort to improve the insulating capabilities of such coverings with an example of such being in U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,763 owned by the assignee of the present application. In that patent, cells are provided within other cells with the arrangement commonly referred to as a cell-in-cell, and this arrangement provides improved insulation even though issues are raised with the thickness of the covering when it is retracted and such issues are addressed in the aforenoted U.S. patent. Further, dependent upon the see-through capability of the fabric from which the outer cells in such a covering is made, the inner cell might also have an effect on the see-through capability of the covering whether it is transparent or translucent. Of course, if the outer cell were opaque, the light-transmitting characteristics of the inner cell would have no bearing. Coloring of the inner and outer cells is also a factor in the aesthetics of the product where the outer cells are made of a transparent or translucent material.
Typically, both the outer and inner cells are made of a woven or non-woven material which could be of natural or synthetic fibers and may include a resin to bond the fibers. When cell-in-cells are utilized in a retractable covering and when both cells are made of such a woven or non-woven material, the see-through capability is typically adversely affected, and as mentioned previously, the coloring and stacking capabilities can also be adversely affected.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cell-in-cell retractable covering for architectural openings which improves upon the characteristics of prior art coverings.